


Overworked and Underpaid

by NotAMidget



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: AU, Adults, Alternate Universe, And he is probably a sociopath, Angst, Anxiety, Did I mention angst, He never left Michael, He uses fidget toys to help him calm down sometimes, His name is Eric Blue, I don't know if this will be a ship fic or not yet, Jeremy has anxiety, Jeremy never got with Christine, Maybe - Freeform, My friends tell me they want to break Eric's legs, Panic Attacks, Squip is a human, boyf riends - Freeform, the squip never happened, there will be angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-03-13 03:18:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13561614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotAMidget/pseuds/NotAMidget
Summary: After months of searching, applying, and being turned down, nineteen year old Jeremy Heere finally gets a job at the Hilton Middleborough hotel. He desperately needs this job to pay for his measly apartment.He's rather intimidated by his boss, Eric Blue, but he can't be that bad, right?...Right?





	1. Interview

**Author's Note:**

> This AU was actually inspired by... Wait for it... A Eurovision Song Contest music video.
> 
> The music video to Hunter of Stars by Sebalter.
> 
> In case you didn't read it in the summary, this takes place in an AU where the SQUIP never happened or existed. Jeremy never took a SQUIP, he didn't get with Christine, and he didn't leave Michael.
> 
> SQUIP is actually humanized in this, and his name is Eric Blue.
> 
> It took a while to come up with his last name. (Does it seem like it? Probably not!)
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

“Have you had any previous work experience?” asked the sleek looking man who sat behind the desk, his large hands folded in front of him, his bright blue eyes scanning over Jeremy’s resume. His voice was smooth and calm, and his face had a disinterested, almost bored look which was a bit intimidating to Jeremy. A name tag on the front of the desk read _Eric Blue, Hilton Middleborough Manager._

“No,” replied Jeremy, the nervousness evident in his voice. “I mean, I’ve been looking and looking for months, but I haven’t, uh, I haven’t been hired anywhere _._ Whenever I apply, their spots are already filled. I’m just _really_ unlucky, I guess,” rambled Jeremy, followed by a small, awkward laugh that died within a few seconds.

It was true. Though he had been applying at many places over the past few months, such as restaurants, retail stores, and movie theaters, and even a museum in the city, they all seemed to turn him down. It seemed like the moment he sent his resume and his application, the places all stopped hiring, or decided he wasn’t what they were looking for. It was like a bad omen was following him, dooming him to live in poverty forever.

This was the first place to actually invite him to a job interview. He hoped he wouldn’t mess this up. He was dwindling on the money his dad had given him to buy an apartment. If he didn’t get this job, he’d likely have to move back in with his father.

“That’s unfortunate,” responded Eric, his voice sounding indifferent, despite the sympathetic nature of the reply. “Is this your first interview, then?”

“Yes.”

“You sound nervous.”

“I-I am,” admitted Jeremy, almost pinching himself for letting himself stutter during something so important. He had to make a good impression. His future depended on it.

Eric raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow at Jeremy’s stammer. “Well, tell me a bit about yourself, Mr. Heere.”

“Well, I’m nineteen, and I graduated from Middleborough High last year… I live in an apartment close by... Uh…” Jeremy blanked. What else was there to say about himself? He wasn’t very interesting. The harder he tried to think of something else to say, the more nervous he became. He reached into his pocket and fiddled with the tiny fidget cube he had inside of it, biting his lip. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, apart from the ticking of the clock on the wall behind him and the clicking of his fidget cube, Jeremy was officially stumped. “...Yeah. That’s… Kinda all there is to know about me.” He mentally slapped himself for being so awkward.

“How did you get here today?” Eric heard the noises of Jeremy’s fidget cube, but didn’t question it.

“I took the bus.” His voice was shaking with anxiety.

“Do you have a car?”

“...No.”

“So, if you were to work here… If the bus wasn’t running, would you have a way to get here?”

“Yes,” said Jeremy. “I-I only live a few miles away, so it wouldn’t be any trouble. I could just walk.”

“Good. Now, what are your strengths?”

Jeremy fell silent, brainstorming some of his strengths, but his mind went blank once again. _Shit,_ he thought. _What do I say? I can’t just say nothing._ His heart started to pound and his hands began to sweat.

“Uh…” He pinched himself on the leg with his free hand, and forced himself to keep looking at Eric, as much as he wanted to look away. “I… I know how to clean,” he mumbled, his voice quiet, as if he was unsure. That was the first thing that came to his mind. Jeremy did know how to clean. Since his mother had left when he was young, he had to do some of the things that she used to do, such as scrub the dishes, wash and fold the laundry, and things of that nature. “And I’m kind of a night owl, so, uh, working late wouldn’t be a problem for me…”

Eric smiled slightly, a bit amused by Jeremy’s worriedness. “Good. Those are both things that are important for working in a hotel.” He unfolded his hands to tap the fingers of his right hand on the desk as his smile faded. “Now, what are some of your weaknesses?”

Jeremy tensed up slightly. He had way more weaknesses than strengths, so coming up with weaknesses was easy. However, he didn’t want to have to list too many, in case they decreased his chance of getting hired. He _needed_ this job.

“Well, um, I’m kind of awkward, and not very good at talking to people,” Jeremy murmured, awkwardly looking down into his own lap.

“I can tell.”

Jeremy was startled by his blunt and slightly rude reply, but continued listing weaknesses of his. “I’m not that strong, uh, physically… I tend to get nervous easily, uh…” There were other things Jeremy could say, but he decided to hold his tongue. “Yeah.”

“Do you have any financial expectations?”

“Uh, no… I just… I really need to be able to pay for my apartment. And it’s not like it’s a big apartment, so, it’s not that expensive. It’s one of those little studio apartments…”

Eric nodded, before folding his hands once again, making direct eye contact with Jeremy. “Now, why should I consider hiring you?”

Jeremy’s heart was in his throat, making it feel hard to speak. But he had to give a good reply. He had to. “I’m willing to work long hours and work really hard,” he said, surprising himself when he didn’t stutter.

Eric looked over Jeremy, and for a moment he was silent. Then, he spoke. “...I think you’d be a good fit for our staff, Mr. Heere.”

When those words met his ears, Jeremy’s eyes lit up with excitement and hope. “R-Really?” he stammered, and he pinched himself on his leg again for stuttering.

“Yes,” replied Eric, his small smile returning. “But work on that stutter.”

An embarrassed blush rose to Jeremy’s cheeks, but a wide smile spread across Jeremy’s face. “Yes, of course…!”

“You’ll start on Monday. And you’ll be working the night shift, so that’s… seven PM to six AM. And for your uniform…” Eric stood up and that was when Jeremy realized exactly how tall he was. He had to be a few inches over six feet tall. “You’re a size small, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” replied Jeremy, a bit intimidated by his height. “Small.”

“I thought so,” he said, pulling a uniform off of a shelf against the back wall, before walking over and holding it out to Jeremy. Jeremy let go of the fidget cube, took his hand out of his pocket, and stood up, taking the uniform in his hands which were trembling. From what Jeremy saw, it looked like a muted red vest, a white dress shirt to wear underneath said vest, a black bow tie, and pants that were almost black but not completely. “Wear it with black shoes. Do you have any black shoes?”

Jeremy nodded. “Thank you so much, Eri- er, I mean, Mr. Blue,” he said, trying his hardest not to stutter.

“Of course. I’ll see you on Monday, Mr. Heere.”

With that, Jeremy left Eric Blue’s office and the hotel. Almost immediately, he took out his phone and texted both Michael and his own dad.

[J: i got the job!!]


	2. Celebration

    The first person to reply, who did so almost immediately, was Michael.

[M: wait!! you got hired????? jeremy!! im so happy for you!! we need to go out and celebrate!!]

[J: yeah! I start on monday! wanna meet up for slushies tomorrow or smth? i can tell you all about it. how about 2 pm?]

[M: definitely! dude im so happy for you!! Ill see you then!!]

\---

    Jeremy walked to the 7-Eleven closest to his apartment building, which luckily was less than half a mile, and he found Michael standing outside. When Michael spotted him, his eyes lit up and he quickly darted to meet him, pulling him into a hug.

    “Hey dude! Congratulations!” cheered Michael, a broad grin stretched across his face as he embraced his best friend for a few moments.

    The wide smile on Jeremy’s face matched Michael’s as he hugged the other back.“Hey! Thanks!” Jeremy patted him twice on the back, before pulling away and looking up at Michael. “Come on, let’s get our slushies, I’ll tell you all about it once we get them and sit down.”

    The pair walked inside of 7-Eleven, chattering about a video game that had just been released recently that was already sold out. However, once the two bought their slushies (Michael got cherry, Jeremy got blue raspberry) and sat down on a bench outside the convenience store, Michael began to ask Jeremy about his job.

    “So, what are your hours?” Michael asked, taking a long sip from his straw.

    “Well,” started Jeremy, pausing to take a small sip of his own slushie. It was cold and chilled his throat, coating his tongue and tinting it blue. “I work the night shift. So… seven at night to six in the morning.”

    “Yikes!” Michael’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Jeremy. “That doesn’t sound healthy, man… That’s a… Uh…” Michael silently counted the numbers in his head. “That’s eleven whole hours! How are you gonna sleep? Or have time to do anything?”

    “Meh. It should be fine,” replied Jeremy nonchalantly, taking another sip before setting it down beside him and rubbing his hands on his jeans slightly to warm them. “I mean, I’m a night owl anyways. I’ll just sleep during the day.”

    “So what, you’re gonna be nocturnal? What about during the weekends?”

    “I guess. But I’ll be fine. I’ll be up on weekends.”

    “You sure about that? I mean, if you’re working so long, won’t you be tired?” Michael’s lips turned down into a frown as he took a long sip from his slushie. His tongue was tinted red, but it was harder to see because the color matched the color of his mouth.

    “...Well, I mean, I’m not too worried about that. I mean, I’m getting paid, and that’s what matters. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get switched to the day shift and then you can come see me on break.” Jeremy gave Michael an optimistic smile.

    Michael, however, was less positive, and actually a little worried himself. Despite being ecstatic for his best friend ‘s employment, an eleven hour shift seemed excruciatingly long, especially for his first job. He tried to smile. “Well, if it gets to be too tiring for you, you know, working the night shift, just ask your boss if you can switch to working the day shift. Oh! Yeah! I never asked! Who’s your boss? What are they like?”

    Envisioning Eric in his mind, Jeremy recalled on what he was like. “Well… He’s _really_ tall. Like, it’s actually intimidating how tall he is. He’s gotta be several inches over six feet. And his name is Eric Blue.”

    “Jeez, he’s like a giant! How old is he? Is he like, old? Young? In between?”

    “He’s probably in his early to mid twenties. He looked pretty young…”

    “Is he nice?”

    Jeremy hesitated. “...I guess? I mean, I… I don’t know.”

    “You don’t know?” Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly as his smile faded. “He’s not… _Rude,_ right?”

    “Oh, not exactly. He’s just… Honest, I guess.”

    “Well, honesty isn’t exactly a bad thing.” His smile slowly returned, smaller than before. He picked up Jeremy’s slushie, flashing him a playful grin as he took a taste, before placing it back where it was before. This received an eye roll from the other. In return, Jeremy grabbed Michael’s slushie and brought the straw to his lips, taking a long, slow sip of it. “Hey! I didn’t drink that much of yours!”

    Jeremy chuckled, setting the cold cup back down between them. “If you wanted blue raspberry, why did you get cherry?”

    “I still wanted cherry! I just… Wanted to have a taste of the blue raspberry, too.” The pair laughed, and Michael once again picked up his own cherry slushie, bringing the straw to his lips and taking a long sip. Once he was finished, he smacked his lips contently. “Yep, I still prefer cherry.” Suddenly, Michael’s eyes lit up with realization. “Hey! You got a uniform, right?”

    “Oh, uh, yeah, I did. Why?”

    “I never got to see it. Have you tried it on yet?”

    “Nope, not yet. I probably should, though, so I can make sure that it fits. Do you wanna head back to my place so that I can do that and show you?”

    “That’s actually what I was gonna ask. But I didn’t want to just, you know, invite myself over.” Michael smiled sheepishly and stood up.

    A bright smile stretched across Jeremy’s lips. “Dude, invite yourself over whenever you want. I’m always happy to see my best friend!” After grabbing his slushie, he stood up, and looked at Michael as he pushed himself to his feet too and took his own slushie.

    “But what if, like… Came to your house in the middle of the night? What would you do then?” asked Michael, adjusting his glasses as he watched Jeremy, and awaited his answer.

    “I’d offer you a pillow and a blanket.” That reply made Michael’s little beam grow into a grin. “Now, come on, let’s go!”

 

\---

 

    Jeremy emerged from the bathroom. He was dressed in a long, faded red sweater vest that was a bit long. Underneath that was a white dress shirt, and around his neck was a black bowtie that rubbed his neck a bit uncomfortably. He’d have to get used to that. He wore dark gray trousers. On his feet were black loafers. Michael lit up when he saw his best friend looking so formal. “Wow!” he cheered, obviously impressed. “You look amazing, dude!”

    “I do?” the other replied, looking down at himself. As he studied his outfit, the truth slowly began to set in. He had an actual _job_ now. After many resumes and emails sent out, after many rejection emails, after many job applications, he finally was employed. And there he stood, in his uniform, ready to go to work in a few days. A relieved feeling washed over him. Jeremy had spent many days worrying about how he’d afford his apartment when his father’s money ran low. He debated asking Michael if he could stay with him if he couldn’t afford to keep his apartment, but he decided against it. After all, he didn’t want to burden his best friend.

    “Yeah! But there’s just one thing.”

    “What?”

    “Your bowtie is crooked.”

    An embarrassed blush rose to Jeremy’s cheeks. “Oh. Oops. Eheh… Can you help me fix it? I suck at putting these things on.” He grinned timidly, biting his lip slightly.

    Michael walked over to him. “Sure thing, buddy.” He crouched slightly so his face was level with the base of Jeremy’s neck. Carefully, as to not chafe Jeremy’s neck too much, he adjusted the bowtie until it was as close to perfect as it could be, before pulling back. “There. Oh my lord, you really _do_ look amazing. I’m so happy for you!”

    Jeremy’s embarrassed smile became more natural. “Same here. I was getting really scared. I had no idea where I’d get the money to pay for my apartment, and food, and stuff.”

    “Prostitution?” replied Michael simply, and Jeremy sputtered, his blue eyes widening and his face turning an even deeper shade of pink.

    “M-Michael!”

    With a look of pure hilarity, Michael howled with laughter at his best friend’s reaction. “Dude! I’m just kidding!” He laughed for a few more seconds, before pausing. A mischievous smirk crossed his face. “Though, you’re certainly handsome enough to.”

The already vibrant flush of Jeremy’s face darkened even more. “S-Shut up!” he stammered bashfully, speed walking over to Michael and whacking him in the shoulder, but playfully.

“Hey, hey, I’m just being honest.” Michael paused, and when he realized how much that could be taken in the wrong way, he quickly blurted out a “no homo”.

His voice cracking slightly, Jeremy repeated the same quick phrase. Then Michael spotted the clock on the wall by the bathroom. Two forty-five PM.

“Dude, I’d love to stay, but my dad asked me for help at three. He moved out of my mom’s house and asked me to help unpack”

“Did they finally get that divorce?”

“Yeah. About time. I was sick of hearing them constantly bickering about it when we were in high school.” Michael smiled sheepishly, before stepping forwards and giving his friend a hug which Jeremy reciprocated. “Have fun at work on Monday, alright? Not that working is fun. But have fun anyways, okay? You’re gonna do great.” Michael gave him a few pats on his upper back before pulling away and stepping backwards towards the exit to Jeremy’s small apartment.

“Thanks, man. I’ll see you soon.” Jeremy gave Michael a small wave. The other waved back before turning and walking out the door, holding a thumbs up behind him. The moment Michael was out the door, Jeremy returned into the bathroom. Crouching by his pile of clothes on the floor, the clothes he had taken off when he tried on his uniform, he reached into the pocket of his jeans. Once his hand found it, he pulled out his phone and pressed the home button, checking for notifications. One new message from his father from three minutes ago.

[D: Congratulations! But don’t think work will be easy. You’re a hard worker, though, you’ll pull through.]

    A smile crept to Jeremy’s face as he typed back a reply.

[J: i know its not

but i can do it

i work the night shift which is good bc im a night owl]

[D: “bc”?]

[J: it means because]

[D: Oh okay. Well, anyways, you have the right spirit. Just make sure to get enough rest after work. What are your hours?]

[J: 7 pm to 6 am]

[D: Ouch. That sounds rough. But you can do it. All those nights you stayed up until four in the morning playing video games will pay off. Good luck at work, sport!]

[J: thanks haha]

[D: You can do it, “bc” I believe in you. Look, I used an abbreviation. Am I a cool kid yet?]

    Jeremy rolled his eyes, replying.

[J: i wouldnt know because im not cool]

[D: Nonsense. You’re plenty cool. Anyways, I have to go. I’m getting off break and I have to head back to work. Talk to you soon!]

[J: bye dad!]

Jeremy set down his phone on his end table and flopped down onto his bed on his back, staring at the ceiling. Then he sat up, his back against the headboard as he grabbed the remote to his rather old TV. As he pressed down on the power button, he slunked down into his bed. For once, he felt content. He knew he should probably change out of his uniform, but he didn't want to. It made him feel calm to just have it on.

Once about ten minutes had passed, Jeremy forced himself to change out of his uniform. He wanted to keep it clean for his first day. He changed into a pair of boxers and an old and oversized _Star Wars_ T-shirt. Folding his uniform slowly and carefully, he set it on his small dresser. After he plopped back down onto his bed, a content sigh escaped his lungs. He watched _Impractical Jokers_ for a bit longer, before he zoned out into his own thought. Everything was finally working out for him. After so many weeks of searching and being rejected, Jeremy Heere finally had a job.

Now he just had to keep it.


	3. First Day

_Phone?_ Jeremy dug into his small bag, feeling around for his phone. His fingers struck the cold screen, and he instantly recognized it as his cell phone from the shape of the object. _Check. Fidgets?_ He continued to feel around inside of his bag. His hands felt over numerous different objects: a stress ball, a few containers of putty, a fidget cube… _Check._ Looking in the mirror, Jeremy observed himself. _Uniform? Check._ He felt over his uniform, before realizing something was missing. _My bowtie. Shit._

Now a bit worried, Jeremy turned around, but his worry was soon lost when he spotted his bowtie on the floor. It must have fallen when he picked up his uniform to change into. Exhaling in relief, he set his bag on his bed and walked over to the garment, picking it up. Putting it on, he then turned back towards his full-length mirror and stepped closer once again to get a better look. Crooked. He adjusted it to the best of his ability until it was straight enough. _There._

He turned, his eyes landing on the clock on the wall. Five twenty-eight. He had more than enough time to get to work. He would likely even show up early if the bus wasn’t crowded. Perfect. Picking his bag back up off of his bed, he pulled out his wallet, opening it up and digging in, pulling out his bus pass, before sticking it back in. He had everything he needed. Walking over to his door, he stuck his feet into his shoes, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

Jeremy’s heart was racing a bit, but he tried to keep himself collected. _I’m going to do fine,_ he thought to himself, taking a deep breath as he walked down the stairs of his apartment building and out the door. As he headed for the bus stop, his mind started to fill with all of the things that could possibly go wrong.

The bus was not very crowded, as expected. It was also quiet, no talking, and the only sound to be heard was the humming of the engine as the bus began moving again. Jeremy plopped down into the first open seat he spotted. He sat down and opened his small handbag, pulling out his phone. He had two new messages. One was from his father, the other from Michael. He opened his dad’s message first.

[D: Good luck on your first day, Jeremy! You can do this!]

A gentle smile stretched across Jeremy’s face as he quickly typed up a reply.

[J: thanks dad! ill do my best!]

After that, he opened the text from Michael.

[M: you got this dude!! I believe in you!!]

His smile grew slightly and he had a warm feeling of happiness in his stomach as he sent his best friend a reply.

[J: thanks a bunch michael!]

As usual, Michael read his message right away, and now Jeremy was staring at the icon that signaled his best friend was typing a response.

[M: no problem! just try not to overwork yourself too hard, getting stressed at work sucks.]

[J: ill keep that in mind but i should be fine.]

[M: you sure? 11 hours is a long time…]

[J: dude ill be fine ive pulled all nighters before]

[M: yeah but have you worked during an all nighter??]

[J: no but ill be fine, stop worrying so much about me]

[M: im your best friend dude, its my job to worry about you]

[J: well at least worry less, you worrying is making me start to worry]

[M: if you worry its gonna make me even more worried]

[J: m i c h a e l .]

[M: okay okay im sorry, im just looking out for you!!]

[J: i gtg, getting off the bus.]

[M: bye dude!! good luck! you’ll do great!]

[J: bye michael!!]

As the bus rolled to a stop at the bus stop in front of the hotel, Jeremy’s heart began to quicken its pace. How hypocritical. He had told Michael not to worry, but that was exactly what he was doing himself. What if he messed something up? What if he did something wrong? What if somehow, he made a mistake so bad that it got him fired on his first day on the job? He stared down at his black loafers as he walked, trying to clear the pessimistic ideas from his mind.

 _No_ , he thought to himself. _I’ll do fine. If I mess something up, they’ll understand. It’s only my first day. I can’t get fired on my first day, right? I’m going to do fine._ He took a deep breath. _But what if I don’t do fine?_

Jeremy was so caught up in his argument against his own thoughts that he didn’t notice someone walking out of the front doors of the hotel until he walked straight into him.

Dazed and startled when he bumped into him, Jeremy staggered backwards, looking up at the person who he had collided with. Instantly, Jeremy tensed up, and his chest tightened. His boss, Eric Blue, stood right in front of him “...M-Mr. Blue!” he stammered quickly, his eyes wide as the taller one eyed him. He seemed to have an expression of annoyance on his face for a moment, but Jeremy couldn’t tell because it was gone within a second. He had his usual look of disinterest on his face.

“Mr. Heere,” replied Eric, calmly adjusting his red tie.

“I’m so sorry, I-I wasn’t watching where I was going…”

“Obviously,” said Eric, running a hand through his short and curly hair. “You should pay more attention next time.”

Jeremy grinned anxiously, trying to ignore the hard pounding in his chest. “Y-Yes, of course. Sorry.” Eric raised an eyebrow, and Jeremy gulped silently.

After a moment of silence, Eric spoke. “We’re going to have to work on that stutter of yours as well.”

Jeremy flushed, mortified, but he kept the smile plastered on his face, even though it was starting to hurt his cheeks.”I’ll try my best.”

“Excellent. Now, you should head inside. I’ve assigned one of your coworkers to teach you about working here. She’ll show you what to do and how to do it.” He gave Jeremy a small smile, but Jeremy couldn’t tell if it was real or not. That was something that made him a bit nervous around Eric. He was unpredictable and hard to read. “I was just heading out to my car,” Eric continued, his smile fading into that same almost bored expression. “My shift is over.”

Jeremy momentarily wondered why Eric’s shift was ending right as his was beginning. Seconds later, he almost slapped himself for being so stupid. Eric obviously worked the day shift, as did most of the other staff here. That meant Jeremy wouldn’t get to see him often. Jeremy had no idea if that was a good thing or not, but part of him breathed a silent sigh of relief at that. However, another part of him was more worried. If he didn’t see Eric often, he wouldn’t get many opportunities to get to know him well… but did he even want to get to know him well? Should he just avoid Eric? He couldn’t just avoid him now, he was right in front of him… _Shit,_ he thought. _I have to say something. I’ve been silent for like… Ten seconds now._

“Oh, er, sorry, I won’t hold you up any longer,” he said, studying Eric’s expression. He seemed a bit confused. “And, uh, sorry, I zoned out… Am I saying sorry too much? Sor- er- uh- yeah, uh, have a good night, Mr. Blue…!” Jeremy’s fake grin widened even more, and Eric just stared at him for a few seconds.

After a small bit of uncomfortable silence that felt like hours to Jeremy, Eric nodded in acknowledgement and walked off towards an expensive looking car. Jeremy watched him for a moment to see if he’d turn around and look at him again. When he didn’t, however, he took a deep breath, turned around, and walked through the front doors of Hilton Middleboro.

 

\---

 

Jeremy was immensely thankful that his coworker was being so patient with him as he learned the ropes of the night shift. He had lots of questions, and at first, he was hesitant to ask, in fear he might ask too many and irritate her. However, she seemed very friendly to him, and soon he opened up, asking all of the questions he needed to. She showed him around the hotel, all of the places he needed to be familiar with. She showed him the laundry room, the supply closet with all of the cleaning supplies, where the luggage carts were stored, and more. Jeremy got along quite well with this woman. She was maybe slightly below average height and middle aged, and Jeremy was ecstatic to have already befriended one of his coworkers.

That is, until she told him it was her last day on the job. Jeremy’s excitement faded immediately. The only coworker he knew so far, and he wouldn’t get to see her again. Would he even get along with the others? Were they even friendly? Was she only friendly because it was her last day?

Maybe he should ask? “Um, excuse me,” Jeremy mumbled as the woman was instructing him on the different settings of the large washing machines.

She turned to look at him. “Yes?”

“Are, uh, the other people who work here… Friendly?”

She paused, frowning slightly. “Well, I mean… Not particularly. But it’s not like they’re _rude_. They’re just grumpy and tired, especially from the night shift, so I doubt they’ll want to do much talking.”

Just what Jeremy expected. _Great,_ he thought sarcastically. “...What about, um… Mr. Blue?” His coworker remained silent for a few seconds.

“...Well, he’s hard to impress. I’ve worked here for a while, but I’ve never really spoken to him that much. He seems to act pretty nice to his customers from what I’ve seen, though. He’s very serious about the way he wants his work done, though, so watch out for him.” She gave Jeremy a wary smile.

“I’ll do my best,” Jeremy said, giving her a nervous grin. “He kind of scares me.

“I feel like everyone who works here feels the same way about him,” she replied. “Just do your best, and you should be fine.”

He gave her a small nod, and then the pair returned to work.

 

\---

 

The hours passed by slowly. When the sun began to peek over the horizon and filter through the big windows throughout the hotel, the clock struck seven, and Jeremy’s shift was over. He thanked his coworker, and she wished him good luck. The two said their goodbyes as they walked out the glass doors together and headed in different directions. As the woman made her way to her car, Jeremy sluggishly wandered to the bus stop, fumbling in his bag for his bus pass. His legs ached as though he had ran a marathon, and his arms hurt like he had been holding them up for hours. His head pounded with a dull headache. When he spotted the stop, the bus was just lulling to a stop to pick up the one person who was waiting. Despite his legs that were sore with every step, Jeremy bolted towards the stop.

Out of breath from running, he followed the stranger on the bus, holding out his pass for the driver. The driver, an old man, looked over his bus pass, before giving him a nod of approval. Jeremy shuffled down the aisle and slumped into a seat. A deep sigh of pure tiredness escaped his lips. His eyelids were heavy with exhaustion. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and allow himself to fall asleep. However, Jeremy couldn’t. He’d be off of the bus in ten minutes at most, and he did not want to risk missing his stop. Besides, even if he decided to allow himself to fall asleep, he wouldn’t be able to. The bus had more people this time. Though it wasn’t completely full, there were certainly more people than yesterday. People chattered, a few on their cell phones, a pair talking to each other. A mother was desperately trying to calm her wailing baby, which did not help his headache at all. Jeremy was a light sleeper, and even the slightest noises were enough to prevent him from falling asleep.

With another tired huff, he leaned his head on the window and zoned out, waiting for his stop.

 

\---

 

Jeremy yawned as he tiredly shuffled down the long, carpeted hall to his small apartment. He made sure to be quiet, because it was only around six fifteen, and people were likely still sleeping. His door came into sight. _204._ Opening his small handbag, he stuck his hand in, feeling around for his key. When he felt something smooth and cold and recognized it as his key, he pulled it out. Trudging to the door, he stuck the key into the opening, twisting it, and pulling the door open. After he pulled his key back out, he walked in and closed the door, locking it behind him before sticking his key carelessly back into his bag. Once he was inside his familiar one-room apartment, the wave of exhaustion really crashed over him. Jeremy scanned the room.

Though his vision was blurry, he spotted something on his end table, something he didn’t see there this morning. Rubbing his eyes, he trudged over.

A mug? Had he left that there? Curiously, his hands cupped the porcelain cup and lifted it up to his face. He didn’t recognize this mug. The only mug he had was plain white, and he hadn’t used it in a while. At first, this mug seemed just like an ordinary black mug. However, when he turned it in his hands, he spotted a sticky note on it. He wrapped his fingers around the handle of the mug and peeled the sticky note off. He held the mug off to the side slightly as he inspected the note. He instantly recognized the handwriting. It was the same neat cursive that had signed all of his permission slips and sick notes for school before he had graduated. His father.

_“Saw this and thought of you. You’ll probably be drinking lots of coffee because you work so long._

_Keep working hard!_

_-Dad”_

A smile stretched across Jeremy’s cheeks and he put the sticky note on his end table, picking the mug back up. Now he saw what the sticky note had been covering. Printed on the front of the mug was a pixelated, stark white Space Invader. Jeremy stared for a few seconds, appreciating the kind gesture his dad had done for him. He carefully placed it back down on his end table.

Stepping back, Jeremy slipped out of his loafers and stripped his uniform, leaving him in just his boxers. He made a measly attempt to fold the clothes before setting them on the floor beside his bed. He was sweating and probably didn’t smell too great, but he was too tired to care. He could shower when he woke up.

As he flopped down on his bed, he pulled his phone out of his bag to text his father. He wanted so desperately to just fall asleep right then. The hands of exhaustion were wrapped around his arm, tugging at it, like a child. They begged him to sleep, but he had to text his dad first.

Though he was about to give in, to let go and drift off, he was able to send his father a short message.

[J: thank you so much dad, i love the mug]

After he pressed send, Jeremy rolled onto his side, grabbing his phone charger and plugging it into his phone. He placed his phone onto the end table, rolling back onto his back. With the sun peeking through his shutters, Jeremy went out like a light.


	4. Changes

The next few weeks were long and relatively uneventful. Jeremy slowly eased into the flow of the work day. He’d wake up sometime around noon, making himself brunch and watching TV, reading, or doing something with the free time he had. When the clocks struck five forty-five PM, Jeremy would begin to get ready. He’d hop in the shower and wash himself quickly. He’d then make himself a quick dinner, along with a coffee in that mug his father got him for his first day. Following that, he’d pack himself a sandwich or some leftovers to eat during his measly break around midnight. When six thirty rolled around, Jeremy would be in his uniform, hopping on the bus. Usually, he’d arrive early, giving him maybe ten minutes to sit in the lobby and mentally prepare himself for eleven long hours of work. Once seven o’clock hit, Jeremy’s work day began.

It wasn’t very complex once he got the hang of it. There wasn’t much to cleaning empty hotel rooms and throwing dirty towels and used bed sheets into the washing machines. It wasn’t like he had to talk to many people, either. For the majority of his shift, people were asleep. His coworkers, like the woman he had spoken to had said, weren’t especially talkative. They talked if they needed to, but besides that, they rarely conversed.

He didn’t see Eric much, either. Eric worked during the day, sitting in his office and filling out paperwork, typing away on his laptop computer, or wandering the halls of the hotel to make sure his employees were doing their work. The only times the two would really see each other was when Eric was leaving work and Jeremy was sitting in one of the red chairs in the lobby. Jeremy would hear Eric leaving his office. He’d look up from his phone, and Eric would spot him. Jeremy would muster an awkward smile and force a wave, and Eric would nod, acknowledging him silently. Then Jeremy would begin working and Eric would head out to his car.

That’s what Jeremy was expecting to happen as he heard the door to Eric’s office open. What he wasn’t expecting, however, was for Eric to say something to him.

“Mr. Heere?” Jeremy flinched, his eyes shooting up from his phone to land on Eric, who met his gaze. “Come into my office. I need to speak with you.”

Jeremy could feel his heart drop His hands started to tremble as he opened his handbag, dropping his phone inside, before fumbling to close it. Eric stood just outside the door to his office, his hands held behind his back, waiting for Jeremy with his eyes locked on him. Jeremy couldn’t tell if Eric was upset or not. He had the same expression of apathy as he usually had. Was he mad? Was Eric going to yell at him? 

Jeremy’s mind began to spawn thoughts so frantically it made his head spin. He stood up and began to make his way towards Eric, his mind a mess of panicked thoughts. Despite his mind racing a million miles a minute, Jeremy had to prevent himself from walking too fast. It was also a challenge not to walk slowly. In this moment, Jeremy wanted to turn and run and make as much distance between himself and Eric as possible. He knew, however, that he couldn’t do that. Despite his mind screaming at him to stop, to turn around, to do anything but enter his office, he forced himself to walk at an average speed.

Eric waited for Jeremy to enter the room before following him in and pulling the door shut behind him. This was it. This was the end of his career. He had only obtained this job a few weeks ago, and now it was going to be ripped right out of his hands. Jeremy slowly lowered himself into the chair, holding onto the armrests so tightly that his knuckles turned while. He anxiously bounced his leg up and down. Eric walked around the desk and calmly sat down into his large desk chair, folding his hands on his desk as he looked at Jeremy.

“Now, you’re probably wondering why I called you in here,” Eric said, earning a nod from Jeremy. “Recently, one of my employees who works the day shift stopped showing up to work. My employees skipping out on work is more common than you think, Jeremy.” Again, Jeremy nodded, wondering what this had to do with him. “You’ve been working here for almost a month now and you haven’t missed a single day of work. Thank you for taking this job seriously, Mr. Heere.” Jeremy nodded his head once more, surprised. He hadn’t expected a compliment from Eric.

“Thank you, sir,” he mumbled, managing a sheepish smile. “What about it, though…?”

Eric was silent for a few moments, before giving Jeremy an almost invisible smile. “I think it would be a good idea to switch you over to the day shift.”

Now Jeremy felt stupid for panicking so much in the first place. Relief washed over him as the fact that he still had his job settled in. Everything was okay. He hadn’t gotten fired.

“I already have an employee to replace your spot,” he continued. “The hours are easier because you get to sleep at night and work during the day,” he continued. “The only issue is that you’ll likely have to talk to more people, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing.” Eric’s smile grew a little bit. “It’ll give you a chance to work on your stutter.”

Jeremy flushed, embarrassed when Eric pointed out his stammer. At first, the day shift seemed inviting, but now, he wasn’t sure. Being around so many people would probably be enough to make him nervous, but having to speak to them? He gulped, silently wondering if he could refuse this offer. Was Eric giving him a choice? Jeremy couldn’t tell. Should he ask? Jeremy reached a shaking hand into his pocket, feeling around for a moment for his fidget cube. His hands found it and he began to click the buttons on it. 

“That sounds fine,” he forced, his voice quiet. He shouldn’t have just agreed. Maybe, if he had asked Eric if he had a choice, maybe if he had explained his anxieties, Eric would understand. Maybe Eric would allow him to keep working during the night shift and give the day shift job to someone else, someone more capable. Someone less anxious. Someone less awkward. What was he getting himself into?

“Excellent. You’ve been doing well here, from what I’ve heard. I feel like you have the potential to do well during the day shift.

“Thank you,” Jeremy murmured in response, only pressing down even harder on the buttons of his fidget cube. Eric, hearing the sound, tilted his head, his usual expression replacing his smile. 

“What is that sound?” he asked. Shakily, Jeremy pulled the cube out of his pocket and showed it to Eric with a trembling hand.

“I-It’s a fidget cube,” he stuttered with a wary half-smile.

“Is that a toy...?” Eric looked the tiny cube over.

“No, well, uh, yes… Um, kind of.” Eric narrowed his eyes slightly. “I, uh… I use it for my anxiety.”

After some awkward silence, Eric finally spoke. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t use it at work.” Those words felt like a jab in the stomach to Jeremy, but he forced himself to stay calm. “I feel like the guests here would find it to be annoying, and we can’t have that. Guest comfort is our number one priority.”

Did Eric not understand that he needed these fidgets? They weren’t just something to play with. They kept Jeremy calm when he was overwhelmed. They kept him from the brink of a panic attack on multiple occasions. He figured he’d need them even more during the day shift with how many people he’d likely be talking to.

While Jeremy was deciding whether or not to object, Eric continued, and Jeremy lost his chance. “Your new hours will are going to be from six in the morning to six at night. That’s an extra hour, but you can handle that, can’t you?”

What little confidence Jeremy had mustered up to object had faded away, and he gave a slow, unsure nod. “I-I can handle that,” he said quietly.

“Good. Well, I need to head home, and you need to get to work. I’ll see you on Monday, Mr. Heere.”

 

\---

 

The workday was average in the beginning despite the events that took place before Jeremy had started. As the night went on, however, Jeremy found himself wondering just how different working the day shift would be in comparison to working the night shift. Sure, he’d be able to sleep at night, but was it really worth giving up his job at the night shift to sleep like a normal person? He was getting along just fine being nocturnal during the work week. Would his new coworkers be any more friendly? Would he even make a good impression on them? He was so lost in his racing thoughts that he poured a bit too much detergent into the washing machine which was filled with dirty rags and towels.

As Jeremy was carrying a stack of freshly folded towels, still warm from the dryer, down the hall to be put into empty rooms, a realization hit him. He stopped right in his tracks, standing in the middle of the hall with his blue eyes wide.

Eric worked during the day. He was likely to see him a lot more often.

Jeremy’s heart started to race, and he would have pulled out his fidget cube or a stress ball had his hands not been full. He imagined Eric watching him throughout the work day like a hawk watching its prey, and he felt his blood run cold.  _ Shit,  _ he thought, his anxiety beginning to rise.  _ What if I mess up in front of him? What if I get fired because I’m not doing good enough, and then I can’t find another job, and- _

“Are you just going to stand there?” asked one of his coworkers, sounding annoyed. This broke Jeremy’s train of thought and he flinched, turning his head to look at his coworker. Her arms were cradling some neatly folded white bedsheets. 

“Uh, s-sorry!” he stammered, his face reddening with an embarrassed blush. She narrowed her eyes, and Jeremy turned his head back around, walking towards room 304, its door wide open.  _ Calm down,  _ he said in his mind, trying to restrain his rush of anxiety that threatened to descend into panic.  _ I’m fine. I’m not going to be fired. I’m fine. Everything is fine.  _ He shuffled through the door and turned left, heading into the clean bathroom of the empty hotel room. It still smelled like cleaning products, shown that it had been tidied up recently. He neatly set a few of the towels on a small shelf by the shower as his coworker began to spread the sheets over the bed. Jeremy placed down the stack of extra towels for other rooms on the floor gently before scampering over to help her.  _ I’m probably just overreacting. I can worry about it on Monday. Besides, who wants to be worrying about this all weekend? _

Once the load of towels and washcloths were all neatly put in the vacant hotel rooms and the beds were all ready for their next guests, Jeremy excused himself to the bathroom. He sat in one of the empty stalls and took deep breaths, fidgeting with one of his fidgets for a few minutes until his anxiety became less suffocating. He hadn’t descended into a full on panic attack, but he had been close. Luckily, his fidgets had been able to keep him from falling over the edge like they had done many times. The thought of not having them starting on Monday popped into his mind, but he forced it out of his head as he walked out of the bathroom stall and left the restroom. He could think about that on Monday. The week was almost over, and he didn’t want to be stressing about it all weekend, did he?

 

\---

 

As Jeremy sat on the bus, the familiar feeling of Saturday morning washed over him. It was the weekend. Finally, he’d be able to sleep in. He thought he had felt his phone buzz in his handbag, but was too tired to know if he had really heard it or to even check. He slouched in his seat, leaning his head on the window lightly. He didn’t let the window support his head too much though, knowing that if the bus hit a bump, his head would smack against the glass, and he didn’t want that. He allowed himself to zone out until the bus lulled to a stop in front of the bus stop outside of his large apartment building.

Jeremy slunked off of the bus, yawning and rubbing his eyes as he made his way inside, heading towards the staircase. He shuffled over to the elevator, pressing the button. Within a few seconds, the doors opened, and he walked inside, pressing the button for the second floor as he leaned tiredly against the wall, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The elevator made a “ding” as the doors opened, revealing the comfortingly quiet hallway of his floor. He walked down the hallway and straight over to room 204, pulling his keys out of his handbag. Hearing the TV on inside, he huffed. He must have forgotten to turn off the TV before he left. That would take a toll on his electricity bill if it was on all night. After the door was unlocked, he pulled it open and took his keys out of the socket, trudging inside. He tiredly dropped his keys back into his bag and closed the door, locking it from the inside. The day had been a lot more stressful than it usually was, but at least he was home now. At least he could sleep.

“Good morning, Jer!” greeted an enthusiastic voice. Jeremy, having not expected to hear anybody, jolted, his eyes widening, his head snapping to look at where the voice came from. “Oh, sorry dude. Did I scare you?” It wasn’t like Jeremy didn’t know who that was almost immediately, anyways. There were only two people he had given spare apartment keys to, and that voice certainly didn’t belong to his father.

“Michael?” he murmured as his fright from being startled evaporated. “What are you doing here…?”

Michael turned off the TV and stood up, adjusting his black-rimmed glasses. So Jeremy hadn’t left it on. That was a relief. “I figured you and me could hang out, since, you know, it’s the weekend and all.” He gave Jeremy a smile. “Did you see my texts? I told you I was coming.”

_ That would explain it. I really should have checked my phone,  _ he said mentally. “No,” he replied out loud. “I was too lazy to. Look, I’m happy that you came to see me and that you want to hang and all, but-”

Michael cut him off, walking over. “No, man, I get it! I was going to tell you to get some rest before we did anything, actually.” A small frown came over Michael’s face as he saw how tired his best friend looked. “Dude, you look awful… Well, not awful, just… Really tired.”

“I am,” he replied as a yawn escaped his lips. “What are you even doing up so early…?” Jeremy knew Michael liked to sleep in from all of the sleepovers they had. It was weird seeing him so chipper at six thirty.

“I went to bed early so that I could wake up early and see you!” Michael replied, his smile returning. “Also, some coffee probably helped. I stopped at Dunkin’. I got you some coffee too to drink when you wake up. It’s iced, hope you don’t mind. It’s in the fridge right now.”

“Thanks, man, but you really didn’t have to,” Jeremy replied, yawning once again.

“But I wanted to!” he replied in a chipper tone that was a bit too energetic for Jeremy at the moment. “You’re my best friend, after all. Now come on, you should probably get to bed. I’ll turn the TV down for you. I can even turn it off if you want.”

“Nah,” Jeremy replied, running a hand through his messy hair as he trudged over to the small bed of his studio apartment. “I’ll probably be out like a light in a few minutes anyway.” He carelessly pulled off his uniform and put on a pair of sweatpants that were hanging off the corner of his bed. He crawled into bed as Michael plopped down on the couch once again, turning down the volume.

“Need me to tuck you in?” asked Michael, a hint of laughter in his voice.

Jeremy rolled his eyes, pulling the blankets over himself and curling up on his side. “No thanks, Mom, I’m all good.” This earned a chuckle from the other.

“I’ll see you when you wake up. Sleep well.”

Jeremy yawned and closed his eyes. “Make yourself at home. I might be asleep for a while.”

“Take as much time as you need.”

A small smile on his face, Jeremy slipped into the embrace of sleep, free of anxiety. He was content, knowing when he woke up, he’d be able to spend some much-needed time with his best friend.


	5. Killing Time

Jeremy’s blue eyes fluttered open. His vision blurry, he blinked a few times before pushing himself up into a seated position. The blankets fell from his shoulders. Rubbing his eyes, he let his hands drop as he scanned his small studio apartment. When his eyes landed on Michael, sat on his couch, watching the TV, which was almost silent, he froze. What was he doing in his apartment? Then it all came back to him. A silent yawn escaped his lips and he stretched. His bed beckoned for him to lay back down, to curl up under the blankets, but Jeremy knew that he wouldn’t be able to get back up if he laid down again. Besides, it was already three thirty-

_ Three thirty?!  _ He took a double take on the clock on his nightstand, his eyes widening. It definitely was three thirty. Quickly, he counted the hours in his head. He had fallen asleep around six thirty, right? Or was it seven? No, it was six thirty… He had slept for nine hours.  _ Shit, shit, is Michael bored? _

“Michael?” he said aloud, his voice cracking from having just woken up moments earlier. Turning his head to look at Jeremy, Michael smiled.

“You’re up! Good morning… Or afternoon.” Though Michael looked cheerful and his voice had no hints of boredom, Jeremy was unsure.

“Uh, eheh, sorry..,” he murmured awkwardly, grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck. “Didn’t mean to sleep for so long… You could have woken me up.”

“No! It’s fine. Why are you apologizing? You work the night shift, you have to sleep.”

“Well, I mean, I  _ was  _ working the night shift…” Michael tilted his head, and Jeremy continued. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Eric switched me over to the day shift. I start working during the day on Monday.”

Michael’s face lit up with excitement. “Jeremy, that’s great! So, does that mean you’re not always going to be exhausted on the weekends?”

This earned a small laugh from Jeremy. “Well, I’m probably gonna be tired, obviously, but I won’t be nocturnal anymore,” he replied.

“Sweet! So, you hungry?” he asked.

Jeremy nodded in reply, running his hand through his hair which was messy from having just woken up. “I gotta shower first, though. I’ll try to be quick...”

“No, no, take your time! I don’t mind.”

 

\---

 

Though Michael had insisted Jeremy take his time, Jeremy didn’t want to keep Michael waiting for any longer than he had to. The hot jets of water relaxed his sore muscles which ached from having worked so hard. He leaned back against the shower wall and sighed, letting his blue eyes flutter shut. The steam filled the shower and fogged up the mirrors in the tiny bathroom. Unintentionally, his thoughts drifted back to the day shift he had been trying not to worry about. Would he see Eric a lot? How often did he leave his office? Did he even leave his office at all? Jeremy hoped not, but he knew that it was unlikely that his boss remained cooped up in that small room all day without leaving to use the bathroom or checking on other employees.

_ Judging them.  _ The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Swiftly, he leaned his head under the jets of water and rinsed out his hair. Once all of the suds were out of his brown locks, he twisted the shower knob to turn it off and climbed out slowly. He grabbed a deep blue towel off of the nearby hook and rubbed it against his head to dry his hair before drying the rest of his body. He was thankful to have Michael here. If Michael hadn’t been here, he’d likely still be in the shower and going over thoughts of everything that could go wrong on Monday. He wrapped the towel around his waist and, after turning off the lights in the bathroom, he walked out of the bathroom.

Michael glanced over at Jeremy, but seeing that he was only a towel away from being bare, he looked away, not wanting to be disrespectful. In all honesty, Jeremy didn’t actually care, as long as he wasn’t fully naked. Michael and him had known each other for fifteen years. Fifteen years was a long enough time to take out all of the awkwardness in most things that might be somewhat awkward. He made his way over to his small dresser, one hand holding the towel around his waist, and pulled open the dresser with his free hand, pulling out a random striped shirt and a pair of jeans, as well as boxer shorts. He dropped his towel and quickly slipped into his boxers, followed by his pants, and finally throwing his shirt over his head.

“So, where are we getting breakfast?” asked Jeremy, sitting on the foot of his bed and looking over at Michael, tilting his head.

“Where do you want to go?” Michael asked him in response. Jeremy quickly thought of the closest breakfast place to his apartment complex. Jeremy didn’t want to be longing very far to get breakfast. There was a Honeydew nearby that he sometimes made the trek to if he didn’t feel like walking to Dunkin Donuts, which was farther. Though Honeydew wasn’t as good as Dunkin in Jeremy’s opinion, the fact that it was closer made it appealing to Jeremy, especially with his sore muscles.

“I don’t wanna walk all the way to Dunkin, so I guess Honeydew’s fine.”

“Dude, no, we’re not walking. We’re taking my car. Do you want to go to Dunkin?”

“No, no, save your gas, it’s fine. I don’t mind walking to Honeydew.”

“But Dunkin’s only a mile away.”

Jeremy paused for a moment, before laughing sheepishly to himself. “Oh. I don’t know, I always thought it was pretty far. I don’t drive.” This earned a laugh from Michael as well.

“C’mon, let’s go, then!”

 

\---

 

The pair sat at a booth in Dunkin Donuts. Luckily, it wasn’t very crowded at all, as it wasn’t morning, which is when most people dropped into Dunkin Donuts. Michael sipped on his cherry Coolatta as Jeremy took a bite out of his bagel. He probably would have gotten a coffee if Michael hadn’t already gotten him a coffee that was sitting in the fridge at home. Instead, he got a Coolatta like Michael, except his, like usual, was blue raspberry.

“So! Tell me about work! How was work last night?” Michael asked as he pulled back from his straw and shot Jeremy a beam. He picked up his chocolate glazed donut and took a bite out of it.

“It was… Well, first of all, exhausting. But I can say that about every workday.” He smiled sheepishly at Michael. “But it started off really scary actually.” Jeremy tensed a bit, remembering how serious Eric sounded when he called Jeremy into his office. Eric always sounded serious, and Jeremy had to wonder if there was ever a time he wasn’t like that. He guessed he’d find out while working the day shift if he happened to run into him. “Eric called me into his office, and I had no idea what was going to happen. I thought I had gotten fired or something. But turns out he just wanted to switch me to the day shift.”

“Well, isn’t it a good thing that you got switched to the day shift?”

Jeremy took a sip from his Coolatta and went quiet, thinking. “...I’m not actually sure.”

Michael’s happy expression turned into one of confusion and slight worry. “What do you mean? I mean, I’ll get to see you more, and you’ll have a regular sleep schedule, right?”

“Well, yeah, and that’s good, but…” He paused to take yet another sip, before leaning back and continuing. “I’m probably going to run into Eric a lot more. I just… I don’t know, there’s something really… Unsettling about him, I guess.”

“Maybe being switched to the day shift will help you!” Michael replied optimistically, his smile returning, yet this smile was smaller. “I mean, you barely talk to this Eric guy, right? Maybe working at the same time as him will help you talk to him more. He’s probably not as bad as you think.”

A sigh passed through the paler boy’s lips. “I guess I just… Don’t want to talk to him. I’ll probably just avoid him as much as I can.” Again, Michael’s worried look returned to his face.

“Does he really make you that anxious?” asked Michael, recieving a nod from Jeremy. “Is there anything about him in particular…?”

Jeremy thought for a moment, staring out the window as he listed a couple of the reasons Eric made him anxious in his head. The interview from nearly a month ago popped into his head. He still remembered a few of the things Eric had said.  _ Work on that stutter.  _

Those words had felt like a jab in the side to him.  _ I feel like the guests here would find it to be annoying, and we can’t have that.  _ Those words felt like a fist slowly closing around Jeremy’s ribs. Eric had just told Jeremy not to bring his fidgets into work, when his fidgets were his main coping mechanism. Then, he recalled what his ex-coworker had told him.  _ He’s very serious about the way he wants his work done, though, so watch out for him.  _ A shudder slipped down Jeremy’s spine. 

Michael stared at him worriedly, noticing this shiver and how tense he seemed to become. He had stopped talking. “You good?” he questioned, snapping Jeremy out of his nervous trance. 

“Oh, yeah… I’m fine,” he responded.

“So what about this Eric guy makes you nervous? If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I kinda want to talk about it, actually.” Jeremy paused to take another bite of his bagel. “First of all, uh… He kind of pointed out my stutter. Which made me uncomfortable.”

“What do you mean, ‘pointed it out’?” Michael asked, his frown deepening slightly.

“Well, I mean, I don’t think he meant any harm,” Jeremy murmured, twiddling his thumbs. “But he said I should work on improving it.”

“Well, that’s kind of rude,” Michael stated, drinking some more of his Coolatta. “Is that what you meant when he was being honest?”

“Yeah, but, I mean, he’s kinda right. If I’m working in a hotel, I shouldn’t be stuttering.” Jeremy gave Michael a wary smile.

“But you can’t help it. You do it when you’re nervous.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t improve on it… Besides, I don’t think he was  _ trying  _ to be rude… He’s just… Brutally honest, I guess.”

Michael lowered his eyebrows slightly. “Okay. is there anything else about him that makes you nervous?”

_ He told me not to take my fidgets into work,  _ thought Jeremy, though he knew he couldn’t mention that to Michael. Michael would likely be even more upset, and he didn’t want Michael to have to worry about him any more than he already was.. “Well, one of my coworkers- er, well, she was my coworker- anyways, she told me to look out for him. She said he’s really strict with how he treats his workers. But I mean, he runs a hotel, so he’s supposed to be strict.”

“Well, I mean, being strict isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” Michael took a bite out of his donut. “So, is that it?”

“Pretty much,” Jeremy responded, though he knew he was keeping one thing from him. “I’m probably just overreacting.” A nervous laugh followed his words.

“That’s okay. You have every right to be nervous. This is your first job, anyways. I’m sure you’ll get used to everything. I was nervous when I started my first job, too.” The taller of the two finished his donut and was now finishing up his cherry Coolatta. “So, what do you wanna do when we get back to your place? Do you wanna play some video games or something?”

Jeremy brightened slightly at that and nodded, before taking a sip from his drink, which he had only about halfway finished. “Definitely. We can make up for lost time.” He flashed Michael a smirk, which Michael returned.

“Then let’s finish up and let’s go!”

Jeremy finished up his bagel, but decided he’d take his Coolatta home to finish another time. The two stood up, threw out their trash, and quickly made their way out to Michael’s familiar PT Cruiser. As Michael started up the car and Jeremy buckled his seatbelt, he felt a feeling of contentedness come over him. Maybe his new shift was a good thing. After all, he’d get to spend more time with his best friend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am so sorry that I've waited so long to update this. I've had some writer's block. I also apologize that this chapter was pretty much mostly filler. There will be angst coming up, but for now, have some fluff.
> 
> Stay tuned!
> 
> -Alana


	6. Day Shift

Despite Jeremy’s worried and hopes that it wouldn’t come, Monday rolled around too quickly. The sunshine had barely started to pour through his window when his alarm clock blared, interrupting his dreamless sleep. He groaned, throwing his arm out and hitting the button on the top of the clock to stop that annoying beeping. Adapting to a morning schedule after working the night shift for weeks was definitely not going to be easy. All Jeremy wanted to do was to let his eyes close again, roll onto his side and fall back asleep, but he knew he couldn’t. Work started in an hour, and the bus came even earlier, in half that time.

_ Half an hour.  _ He needed to get moving. Forcing himself out of bed, he grabbed his uniform off of the floor beside his bed where it had sat, neatly folded. He then headed into the bathroom, flicking on the light switch with a yawn. He quickly stripped off the clothes he had slept in, letting them drop to the floor to deal with later. Speedily, he threw on his uniform, before looking at himself in the mirror to make sure his uniform wasn’t too wrinkled and his bowtie wasn’t crooked. While his uniform looked nice, his hair looked like a frizzy mess. Yawning again, he grabbed his small hairbrush off of the bathroom counter, dragging it through his hair a few times until it looked neater. Satisfied, he placed his brush back down, threw his discarded clothes into the hamper, and exited the bathroom, turning the lights off on his way out.

Luckily, apart from the driver and a woman distracted by her phone, Jeremy was the only person on the bus. When he stepped on, the woman on her phone glanced up at him, before looking back down, uninterested. He was relieved she wasn’t talkative. The sun continued to rise as the bus started moving and Jeremy picked a seat to sit in Though the sun was out, Jeremy could see storm clouds rising in the distance. He certainly hoped it wasn’t going to rain. He didn’t want to have to walk to the bus stop and home from the bus stop in a downpour. He leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander. Questions slowly filled his head. What was work even going to be like? What did he have to do during the day shift? Would Eric assign another coworker to guide him?

And again, the one question he had avoided answering presented itself to Jeremy again.

_Would he run into Eric a lot?_ _  
_ Though he wanted to, he knew he couldn’t hide from that question anymore. It seemed unlikely that Eric could remain cooped up in his office for twelve hours without leaving to use the restroom or checking on his employees. It seemed that he’d have to prepare himself for more confrontations with Eric. A shudder ran down his spine at the thought.

The bus ride wasn’t long enough. As the bus lulled to a stop at the bus stop in front of the Hilton Middleborough. He stared at the decently tall building for a moment, before at the sky above it. The gray clouds seemed to be looming closer, a signal that a storm was likely coming.  _ Great,  _ Jeremy thought sarcastically to himself. After taking a deep breath, he made his way into the hotel.

As he stepped through the front doors, he looked over at the clock above the counter. 5:56 AM. At six, he’d have to start working. Jeremy slumped down into one of the chairs in the lobby, letting out a deep sigh, trying to ease his nerves. He was tempted to reach into his handbag and pull out a fidget, but he knew he couldn’t. Eric had told him not to bring them into work, and he didn’t want to know what would happen if he was caught with one.

A minute before the next hour, he heard the front doors to the hotel open, and he opened his eyes, looking up. His blue eyes met Eric’s brighter ones and he tensed, quickly averting his gaze to avoid eye contact.

“Good morning, Mr. Heere,” greeted Eric, seemingly emotionlessly. His voice was monotone and his face showed no trace of a smile. “How was your weekend?”

_ How was your weekend?  _ The question echoed in Jeremy’s mind, catching him off guard. Did Eric actually care about how his weekend was? He quickly shook off that thought. “He was probably just trying to be polite. “Good!” he replied, a bit too loudly. He cleared his throat. “Um, I-I mean, good,” he corrected, mentally slapping himself for stuttering. Eric raised his eyebrow, going silent, as if he was considering the few words Jeremy had said.

_ I probably said something wrong,  _ he thought. He pinched himself slightly.  _ Of course I said something wrong. I stuttered.  _

After a moment, Eric spoke again. “Watch the stutter, Mr. Heere.”

Jeremy flushed red, mortified. “Yes, of course,” he mumbled quickly, mustering a nervous smile.

“I’m going to be showing you around the hotel and telling you about how to work the day shift.” Jeremy tensed, and all of a sudden, he felt sick.  _ Eric  _ was going to be showing him around. Just imagining that made his anxiety grow. Still, he tried his best not to show his rising anxiety.

“Yes, Mr. Blue,” he replied, keeping his sentence short to avoid stammering as he stood up. As soon as he was on his feet, he felt the urge to run, to hide, to make as much distance as possible between him and Eric, but he had to force himself to stand there. The last thing he wanted to do was to spend time with Eric, but he forced himself to walk towards him. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take long for him to finish instructing him. He could feel his anxiety start to make his hands shake, and he was so close to pulling out one of his fidgets to help him calm down, but Jeremy knew he couldn’t, with Eric right next to him. So, sticking his hands into his pockets to hide their trembling, he followed Eric down the hallway, following behind him.

 

\---

 

Eric was right: there certainly was more to do during the day shift. While the night shift mainly consisted of cleaning out empty bedrooms, there was more work to be done during the day. There was also a lot more contact with other people, which, to Jeremy, wasn’t really a good thing. The more he thought about it, the more he wished he had just refused Eric’s request for him to switch shifts. It wouldn’t have been that hard. Just a simple “no, thanks”, and he’d be fine. Then again, was it even a choice? Would Eric have let him say no and keep the night shift?

Besides, did Jeremy even have the confidence to refuse him in the first place?

After maybe half an hour of Eric leading Jeremy around the hotel and explaining his duties to him, the pair finally returned to the lobby.

“That should cover it all. Do you have any questions?” Eric stared at Jeremy, awaiting his answer. Having Eric’s gaze completely fixed on him made him incredibly uncomfortable. It felt as if Eric’s icy blue eyes could burn a hole straight through him.

“I think I’m good,” he mumbled in reply, keeping his sentence short to avoid stumbling over unnecessary words. 

“Good. Now get to work. I’ll be checking every once in a while to see how you’re doing.” With that, Eric turned and headed towards his nearby office.

Jeremy felt stiff. The very last thing he wanted was to have Eric watching him as he worked, observing every mistake he might make. Still, it wasn’t like there was anything he could do about it. When it came to Eric, he felt powerless.

With a deep breath, Jeremy began work.

 

\---

 

He started off with cleaning, because that’s what he was used to. Despite being used to cleaning from all of the cleaning he had done, he hadn’t cleaned a pool before. However, with the help of his quiet coworker, which was good, because Jeremy didn’t feel like talking either, they managed to tackle the task in around fifteen. It wasn’t really that challenging, just tedious. It startled Jeremy how much sand could end up in a pool that wasn’t even an outdoor pool. It wasn’t like there was a beach nearby, either. As his coworker scrubbed the floors, Jeremy used the pool vacuum to suck up all of the sand.

Luckily, he didn’t run into Eric while cleaning the pool. The same couldn’t be said for when he was loading luggage onto a cart to bring to a room on the third floor.

As he and another hotel employee, who was significantly taller and stronger than him, were loading bags onto a luggage trolley for a family of five, Jeremy caught a glance of somebody loitering by Eric’s office door, leaning against the wall lightly. When he turned his head to see who exactly it was, he tensed up. It was Eric.

And he was looking  _ directly at him _ .

When their eyes met, Eric raised his eyebrows. Jeremy felt his stomach drop and immediately looked away from him and back to his work, stacking suitcase after suitcase. It almost felt like Jeremy could feel Eric’s cold eyes bore into him. When they had finished piling all of their bags and turned to push the cart down the hall and towards the elevator, Jeremy noticed that Eric had disappeared from the hall. A weight was lifted from Jeremy’s shoulders. He hadn’t heard Eric’s office door open or close, however, so that lead him to the conclusion that he was still lurking around the hotel somewhere. He’d have to keep his guard up.

 

\---

 

To Jeremy, the day felt agonizingly slow. Time seemed to pass in slow motion. Sure, his nights working at the hotel felt sluggish, but they were nothing compared to how long today was feeling. It always seems like the more he begged time to go faster in his head, so that he’d be able to go home, the more it’d slow its pace. 

And the more he saw Eric, the more he wanted to go home.

Jeremy felt like prey, being stalked by the predator that watched him with narrow eyes from a distance, just waiting for its chance to pop up and strike. He’d peek down the hallways and there would be Eric, leaned against a wall, observing him closely as he worked. It seemed like everywhere he turned, there would be Eric’s icy blue eyes, watching his every move. Obviously, Eric wasn’t watching Jeremy  _ all  _ day, and there were moments when Jeremy would look around and he wouldn’t be there, but it certainly felt like he was. 

As the day began to reach a close, Jeremy’s glances towards the clocks he passed by became more frequent. He silently pleaded for the minutes to go by faster, to feel like actual minutes, but they only felt like eternities to him.

Eventually, however, the time did come. The end of the work day. Jeremy sighed in relief when the clocks hit six, and he was the first employee out the doors. He wanted to run to the bus stop, to bolt as fast as he could and go home, but he couldn’t run. He had to act casual. What if Eric saw him running? So, despite his entire body screaming at him to go faster, he walked at a leisurely pace. The rain wasn’t as bad as Jeremy thought it might be in the beginning of the day, but that might change. He made his way up to the bus stop and plopped exhaustedly on the bench, slouching into it. He put his handbag on his lap, unzipping it and fumbling around inside until his hands struck his phone. He pulled it out and pressed the power button. The screen lit up to reveal his home screen: a picture of him and Michael on graduation day of high school. He saw a text message from his father that had been sent around three minutes ago. With a small smile, he tapped it twice, opening his messaging app.

[D: Hi, Jeremy! How was your first day working the day shift?]

[J: it was… okay. anxiety wasn’t the best today. seemed like my boss was watching me.]

Jeremy let his eyes close, waiting for his phone to buzz and indicate that he received a new message.

But it wasn’t his phone buzzing that made his eyes pop open. It was a voice.

“Mr. Heere,” said the voice. Jeremy’s eyes instantly snapped open. The voice made him instantly tense up, sitting up straight. There, his black 2017 Lexus LS loitering in front of the bus stop, was Eric. His window was open and he was leaning out of it, looking at Jeremy intently. Jeremy gulped silently.

“Oh, uh, Mr. Blue..! Hello,” he greeted sheepishly, putting his phone onto his lap so that he could twiddle his fingers anxiously. He mustered an awkward smile. What did Eric have to say? Was he getting a cut in his paycheck? Was he being scolded? Did he mess something up? Jeremy tried to shake those thoughts from his head, but one loitered there. Was he going to get  _ fired?  _

“...Good work today,” Eric said, what was almost a smile appearing on his face for just a moment before fading back into his usual expression. “I have high expectations for you, Jeremy.”

Hearing Eric call him by his first name made his heart what felt like twice as fast. He had high expectations for him. Jeremy couldn’t tell if that was better than he was expecting or worse. He thought, with no doubt in his mind, that he was going to fail those expectations and disappoint Eric. He always seemed to disappoint people. Despite these thoughts racing in his mind, he managed a quiet “thank you”. 

“Good night,” Eric replied, before rolling up his window and driving off.

Jeremy watched as Eric’s car sped off, and stared into the distance for a few moments. His phone buzzing in his lap snapped him out of his trancelike state. He took a deep breath before picking up his phone and turning it on again. A text from his dad from a few seconds ago.

[D: I’m sure he’s probably impressed. Try not to worry too much about it.]

[J: he just drove by and told me he had “high expectations”.]

[D: See? You’re doing fine! I believe in you, Jeremy. You’re doing great!]

[J: thanks, dad.. i dont feel like talking much rn, though, sorry if i dont really reply.]

[D: “rn”? What does that mean?]

[J: it means right now]

[D: Ah. Well, I’ll let you relax… I’ll talk to you soon. Have a good night!]

[J: ok, good night dad]

Jeremy turned his phone off and dropped his phone back into his bag. He pulled out his bus pass before zipping his bag closed. The bus rolled up in front of the stop and the doors opened. Jeremy tiredly made his way inside, swiping his card and plopping down in a seat near the front of the bus. Unfortunately, the bus wasn't empty. It was actually decently crowded. A tired sigh escaped his lungs and he slumped into his seat, trying to zone out and ignore all of the chatter. His mind went back to what Eric had said to him.

_ I have high expectations for you, Jeremy.  _

That thought made Jeremy tense. If Eric had high expectations for him, then he’d better work as hard as he could to meet those expectations.


End file.
